TG Ratings Breakdown

CONCLUSIONSAlthough slightly less capable than its older sibling, the A850 offers just about everything I liked about the A900 including a slew of sophisticated features that make it easy to capture great images. Its 24 megapixel sensor provides plenty of resolution, but be prepared to push all those pixels through your software in post-processing, especially if you’re shooting at high ISOs.

It’s also not as fast as the A900, but unless you’re shooting really fast-action sports, its 3 fps continuous shooting speed should be fine. There are plenty of other options out there if you have a need for speed. While the A850 may not be perfect, it is currently the most affordable option for photographers who want a high resolution, full-frame camera.

Pros:

The most affordable full-frame, 24 megapixel camera on the market

Excellent resolution, sharp images (when used with a high end lens)

Natural color reproduction

Sophisticated feature set providing extensive user controls

Effective Dynamic Range Optimizer

Cons:

High end lenses can cost as much as, or more than, the camera

3 fps continuous shooting is below average for current DSLRs

High ISO performance could-and should-be better/less noisy

Proprietary hotshoe so you need an adapter to use other flash units, Pocket Wizard, etc.